From the Heartland Institute

Welcome to the Consumer Power Report

IN THIS ISSUE:

Doctors Gleeful About Fix

GOP Fights Over How to Use Reconciliation

Medicare Overpays as Hospital Prices Rise

Obamacare’s Tax Day Reality

Are High-Deductible Plans with Narrow Networks Good?

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2015 April School Reform News:
Arizona House Votes to
Repeal and Replace Common Core

The April issue of School Reform News reports the Arizona House of Representatives has voted to repeal the state’s adoption of Common Core State Standards and replace them with a state-developed plan. Parent Gina Ray says she plans to continue her advocacy against Common Core until the repeal is complete. “I am ready to be a target,” said Ray, referring to the treatment she expects from Common Core proponents within her state after she speaks out about the standards. “I am ready to pull every one of my kids out of school and homeschool them if need be. I’m ready to stand up for liberty.”

Also in this issue:

All across the country, officials of traditional public school districts are using retaliatory tactics against various school choice programs. The Racine Unified School District of Wisconsin, for example, temporarily canceled bus services to students participating in a voucher program.

A federal judge ruled Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education regarding Common Core will proceed.

The Ohio House passed a bill to protect students from negative consequences for opting out of Common Core tests.

Louisiana education Superintendent John White has announced plans to review the state’s Common Core-aligned standardized tests.

A bill to allow homeschooled children to play on public school athletic teams may become law in Virginia.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called for several reforms in response to a report on his state’s failing public education system. 

All issues of School Reform News are archived here: School Reform News archive.

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2015 April Environment & Climate News:
Yucca Mountain Declared Safe
for Nuclear Waste Storage

The April issue of Environment & Climate News reports the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined it would be safe to operate a nuclear waste facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The agency did not go so far as to recommend construction begin on the repository because some land and water issues remain unresolved. Daniel Simmons, vice president for policy at the Institute for Energy Research, noted, “Review after review shows Yucca Mountain would be a safe repository for spent nuclear fuel. The engineering isn’t the problem--political opposition is.”

Also in this issue:

Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has resigned in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment.

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber--the nation’s “green governor” resigned amid a pay-for-play scandal regarding his green-energy policies.

By a vote of 51-47, the U.S. Senate rejected a proposed five-year extension of the wind-energy Production Tax Credit.

Patrick Moore, co-founder and former director of Greenpeace International, says human activities are not causing catastrophic global warming. He says more carbon dioxide, not less, would be better for Earth.

President Barack Obama has requested Congress designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness in order to prevent oil and gas development.

Congress rejected an attempt to overturn a law barring federal agencies from usurping state’s powers to regulate groundwater.

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The full text of the issue is available online in Adobe Acrobat’s PDF format: April 2015 Environment & Climate News. All issues of Environment & Climate News are archived here: Environment & Climate News Issue Archive.